Sword of the Godslayer

At The Gates

Robb tied a net on a wooden peg, making sure it was attached firmly. The previous times he did this, the rabbit was able to run away free, along with his net. He would then find the net a couple of yards away, without the prized prey.

Consequently, Robb made sure to double check if the string would hold, same with the four other nets he placed on the other rabbit holes. The first time Lira taught him this method of hunting rabbits, he was expectantly enthused. But as he continued with it for days, it started to feel like a chore. Hunting with a bow and arrow, the way that Minos and Ashvell taught him, definitely felt more exciting and thrilling.

Robb looked back to the direction of their camp, a thin strip of smoke had started to rise from the canopy. The sun was about to reach its peak and he wasn't finished with his task yet. He grabbed Scout and hurried to one of the holes he prepared.

The young boy shadowed Lira during the first few days of their group being on the road. She was in charge of hunting for meat in the morning. Eventually she started teaching him how to do it.

Every day at sunrise, she would roam around the forest looking for burrows. Multiple holes close together usually meant there was a rabbit nest underground, which she would cover with small nets pegged to the ground, leaving one open. Afterwards, Scout, her trusty ferret, would enter the open burrow, and he would dive deep into the underground tunnels where the rabbits nest.

As soon as the little creatures sense the predator trespassing in their home, the rabbits will start panicking and scamper out of the tunnels. They will start hopping out of the burrows, and get trapped by nets Lira had assembled.

Robb double-checked everything, keeping Lira's notes in her mind. He took one last breath before letting go of Scout who then crawled straight into the open hole. The young boy sat back and watched the ferret disappear into the hollow and waited.

It only took a few days on the road for Robb to start feeling disappointed with their journey. It may be his first time traveling, but he had read stories of adventuring parties going off on a quest, finding some hidden treasure or hunting down an evil wizard.

He expected excitement and danger, thwarting hidden enemies ready for ambush or sneaking through a marauding bandit's territory. He readied himself everyday, awaiting for a fight to happen, but the only fight he ever witnessed was their party fighting between themselves.

When they left the village, it was clear that Cassana was the one in charge. She told them when to stop, or when to proceed, where to eat, pray, or rest. She claimed to know the place, her and Ashvell both, being the locals that they were. The journey to Mugendale should be simple, their driver attested to it, having taken the route dozens of times before, doing his charcoal-related errands.

On their third day, they came across a fork on the road. Asking around, people claimed that both paths would lead to the city, but one was shorter than the other. However, the same people did not agree which was which, so their group was forced to make a decision. Cassana and Ashvell wanted to go one way, while Minos and Lira wanted to go the other.

The disagreement turned into a heated discussion, which then turned into a full-blown argument. Insults were exchanged, hurtful words were thrown, and there was nothing Robb could do but hide away and cover his ears. I thought adults don't fight, he thought to himself back then, feeling disappointed at the grown ups that surrounded him. In the end, they continued following Cassana's lead.

However, the path she chose to go through led to a dead-end.

After some gloating and a few resentful quibbles, they decided to double-back the next morning. Lira slowly took charge of their journey, being the veteran huntress that she was. They took the other road, and the next day, they finally saw a sign confirming they were on the right path. Lira and Minos exchanged a high five, much to Cassana's chagrin.